Canned beer increasingly popular

Retail sales of beer continued to grow last year, with a 6 per cent increase in terms of quantity and 10 per cent in terms of value. Demand for canned beer is growing in spite of its higher price. Its market share rose from 54 to 57 per cent last year. The market share of private labels was up to 21 per cent in terms of quantity in December. The market share of hyper markets grew to 21 per cent from 19 in terms of quantity, while that of 401-2,500 square meter stores dropped to 27 from 28 per cent. 0.5 litre cans are the most popular units, accounting for 56 per cent of total sales in terms of quantity. 0.5 litre bottles account for 36 per cent. Alcohol free beers account for 3-4 per cent of all sales.